Swarm
by Swashbucklist
Summary: Before his hosting days on the Absolution, TOM is tested for service on a robot construction colony. But with more enemies than friends, he may not get far.
1. Ignition

Disclaimer: Toonami is copyright Cartoon Network. I don't know who created the original story and characters of Swarm, but credit goes to them.

Author's Note: In 1997, a television block called Toonami premiered on Cartoon Network, and in the following decade spearheaded the wave of Japanese animation into American media. From 1999 to 2007, Toonami was hosted by two CGI characters: a robot named TOM and an AI named Sara.

The concept involved TOM (Toonami Operations Module) performing the hosting duties, while Sara (the holographic AI on their ship, the _Absolution_) performed AI-ish tasks and provided someone for him to talk to. While traveling through space on the _Absolution_, they would broadcast anime and action-oriented cartoons to Earth for a couple hours a day. Other ways to interact with fans included schedule announcements, video game reviews, and a few multi-media games that fans could play online.

I've excavated from my [unfaithful] memory an animated comic that chronicled TOM's first adventure. This fanfic is that story in writing, re-imagined, with some of my own stuff mixed in. It's original air date and creators are both unknown to me. I hope it's good enough for TOM's very few fans to enjoy, and also to be liked by those who know nothing of the characters or the Toonami universe.

Okay? ... Okay.

* * *

**Swarm**

**chapter 0.1: ignition**

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* * *

**

_ Colonial Freespace Territory.  
Gideon Alpha-12, Automaton Construction Platform._

Above a small, dry planet of rough brown crust and faintly luminescent whorls of algae, the space colony Gideon Alpha-12 was in orbit. It was a mechanical hive of lights and activity and nearly twice the size of some of the largest craft currently traversing the galaxy. The capsule-shaped installation was protected by a green-tinted prism that was held in place by a network of six force-field generators. The generators were supported on the ends of spires that extended from the top and bottom edges of the facility, cocooning it within a triangular sleeve that was also covered at the top and bottom ends.

LARS waited inside one of Alpha-12's observation domes at the station's top level. He stared into the green-tinted darkness of the galaxy in expectation of the next dispatch of construction equipment and fuel. Not long into his wait, the distant blackness opened up and the nose-end of a titanic, silvery starship with dark blue windows slid through. The ship slowed while the hyperspace tunnel closed behind it, then drifted over to the robot colony using its directional thrusters.

As the loaded cargo ship approached, one wall of Alpha-12's force-field prism shut down to allow it through. Attaching its cargo nacelle to the docking port at the very bottom of Alpha-12 created the effect of sticking a big, silver-wrapped sapphire to a partially-shredded tin can. The ship's hull was immaculately clean and its curving panes of reinforced glass reflected starlight from all directions. Alpha-12, on the other hand, was in modest repair and had large sections that were still under construction.

"Starship, this is Platform Alpha-12 dispatch," LARS said, looking down at the ship from his position at the very top of the installation. "We are receiving ship's cargo. Does it have any crew or machines that could provide help with the load? We're in short supply of the heavy-lifting kind."

"12, this is starship _Absolution_'s onboard AI," replied a smooth, English-accented female voice. "I'd love to assist, but it's not much different over here. No independent mobile crew currently on board. Sorry, dispatch."

"No problem, _Absolution_," said LARS, hiding his fuming disappointment behind monotone. "We will make do with what we have. Dispatch out."

LARS turned away and stopped at the elevator that would take him down to the main construction chamber. Eight fresh automatons had been slapped together just hours ago, and breaking them in for service was on his personal roster. He punched the control and waited while the elevator doors did nothing. Holding the control down for several seconds did the trick, and he hovered inside. "Should remember to send a command to get that fixed," he murmured as the doors hummed shut.

Gideon Alpha-12 was the home of several hundred robots, working to assemble and mobilize various models of droids, automatons, and other machines that were needed in deep space. At the station's widest point, near the top of the structure but below the cluster of observation domes, the main work chamber was in constant, whirring motion.

Eight of Gideon's product entered the vast disc-shaped room and stopped in a row, standing shoulder-to-rounded-shoulder like pawns in a chess set ... Fidgety pawns that were shuffling their feet, swinging their hands, or examining their polished casing as they impatiently waited. While a workforce of construction droids, hovering platforms, and mobile cranes swarmed about, the group of automatons had nothing to do.

"Busy here," one commented.

Their hands, feet, and heads were gigantic in comparison to the short matte-black appendages that connected them to their nose-shaped torsos. Each robot sported a three-bladed radiation symbol glowing on its protruding potbelly. On their large spherical heads, their swept-back optic visors reflected the activity before them. These visors were opaque, but tinted with whatever color designated each robot. They were all mostly white with about forty percent of their casing filled in with color. Most of the group was detailed green, but there was a fuschia automaton at the end, and a blue one farther down.

The blue robot glanced away from the industrial activity pervading the room to nudge his adjacent green companion. "What a place, huh? How long d'you think we have to wait?"

Turning just his head to look at him, the green replied, "Your face and my hand are both worth a couple thousand dollars. Otherwise ..."

"Oh-kaaay, stop right there." The blued waved his hands about. "I'll just conform and be boring like the rest of everybody."

"Please do."

"Hey, I'll make you a bet," the blue decided. "If I do better than you, you owe me two or three thousand bucks."

"Fine, I'll take that. And in answer to your question, about half a second."

The blue automaton glanced up and looked around, then spotted a tall, gangly droid sweeping into the room.

The obvious emcee stopped and idled imperiously before the row of eight. Long, spindly arms were held clasped behind his back. Below thin shoulders, his trapezoidal torso widened out into a hoverskirt that kept him about twenty inches off the floor. On his flat oval head, black lenses and a protruding grille formed his eyes and mouth.

"I am the Operations Administration Robot, or 'O.A.R.'," he fizzed from his voice grille. The administration robot glided to and fro in front the smaller automatons, his image being reflected in each of their optic visors as he passed them. "Automatons can refer to me as LARS. The eight waiting here are beta units, meaning they're model is not yet approved for Colonial Freespace living and service. They will be physically tested momentarily. Any questions insofar?"

"Yeah, all that construction going on over there is kinda distracting, so can you dance around a little to make us pay more attention to you?"

LARS paused and glared at the blue automaton. The blue droid gazed back. There was a moment where, despite their lack of facial expression, a tenseness seemed to form up between them. But it was broken when LARS turned away. "Precious ... A wisecracker." He seemed annoyed, but not surprised.

The O.A.R. stopped at the end of the line and concluded: "This brief trial course will determine their effectiveness and legitimacy as serviceable units." Then he turned back to the blue automaton. His black eyes narrowed with a dubious whir. "Name."

"Tom, Your Honor."

"Get to the end of the line. If it is last, it will know how much better the betas ahead handle the course. I've no doubt it will fail miserably."

"Yes, sir!" TOM saluted sharply and ambled down the row to fall in behind the fuschia automaton.

"And the rest!" shouted LARS. "About face! Go get it over with."

The eight automatons turned like toy soldiers and shuffled with clacking footsteps down a white, featureless corridor.

"I don't think he likes me much," TOM said to the automaton next in line. "What do you think?"

The fuschia droid turned her head half-around to they could walk and talk at the same time. "I think you made a wonderful friend." She glanced ahead, then back at TOM. "What did you say your name was?"

TOM tilted his large bubble-head and scratched it curiously. "It's Tom, I guess."  
"Hm ... I'm Ruby. Listen, you wanna party up on this? I don't believe there are any rules regarding partners during test courses. So if you and I put our giant heads together and avoid bumping them constantly, we may have a better chance of getting through it successfully and approving this automaton model."

TOM kept a wary lookout as a pair of immense, powerful demolition droids floated past them. "Yeah ... that sounds like a good plan. As long as I get to be the MVP."

* * *

As the last two beta units disappeared inside, LARS spotted a pair of VIK Series 161 Class J Demolition units coming out of the same corridor. They were basically big cylinders with arms. Their black optic visors stretched from both sides of their heads to meet in the shape of a V, and their powerful, boxy arms hung idly at their sides. They were only a foot higher than LARS, though much more sturdy and destructive. They were giants compared to the automatons.

LARS summoned their attention: "The two trash cans!" He may have been programmed with protocol as an imperative, but that was no reason he couldn't blow off steam by giving a few demeaning monikers to his underlings.

The pair of demolition droids turned simultaneously to face him as he approached. LARS drew up before them and pointed back down the hallway. "They're both going to have to go back in there," he said to them. They swivelled back around and started to hover in the direction indicated. "Not right this second! Wait for orders!" They stopped and spun back around to receive said orders.

LARS pointed through the access hatch to TOM and RUBY, bringing up the back of the line of automatons. "The rearmost automaton in that line is inadequate for both public and private services, and needs to be dismantled. It's the blue one."

The VIKs wheeled their husky frames around to look. "Excuse me, I'm still talking!" They spun back to him.

"Basically, it can't be approved," LARS continued slowly. "But there are stipulations preventing me from going scrap-happy on whomever I please. Demolition units must follow the group automatons into their trial course ..." he paused, making sure his suggestion sank in, "... and do whatever is necessary to keep it from successfully completing its trial run. If their efforts fail, implement destructive measures," he finished. "Understood?"

Most of the few indicator lights on their cylindrical torsos were blinking rapidly, most likely meaning their tiny, oversimplified processors were still digesting his orders.

"Stop the blue robot ..." said one of the demolition units.  
"... From finishing the course," completed the other.

"Correct so far," LARS encouraged.

"And if he gets through ..." The second VIK thought for a long minute. Such simple tools of destruction were more effective when they were downloaded with tasks that had the steps and parameters all graphed out and listed. They were unaccustomed to word-of-mouth orders.

"... We beat him up." They finally had the whole picture.

"Not my idea," LARS said quickly before gliding away.

As he moved off to his next task, he scheduled an order to have both VIK units dismantled and their processors wiped. The last few months of construction had been exhausting without many strong-armed machines. But if some of the station's only remaining heavy-lifting robots broke down or became dangerous ... the company would be under a contractual obligation to provide Alpha-12 with a fresh set of mechanical muscle.

It was a good idea. It took care of two problems with a single motion. He'd never done anything outside protocol before, and thought nothing of it now. This was simply the first problem he'd ever encountered that required breaking the rules to solve.

* * *

The corridor was wide enough to allow TOM and RUBY to stand next to each other when they emerged into a long, rectangular white room. The floor, walls, and ceiling of the room were covered with tiles, and in the center of each and every tile was an active laser port. Sizzling green beams exploded from them, firing across the room into corresponding squares. Most of the automaton recruits had already crossed and moved on. But off to the side lay the partially disintegrated shell of a green automaton, black and smoldering. His helmet was seared in half, and wisps of smoke drifted up from the hollow side.

"Let me guess, there's no 'easy' setting for beginners, is there?"

"This ain't a game."

"Well it should be." TOM gestured to the flashing green chamber. "We're supposed to be tested for our effectiveness in deep-space operations, not playing TRON!"

"We're also being tried for comprehensiveness," RUBY urged him. "What about that 'Most Valuable Player' title you want so bad? We can get through it if we put more than an ounce of thought into it."

"Fine, but if one of us dies, it's your fault."

"Look, I found a sequence already ..." she distracted him by pointing her bulky three-fingered extremity at the laser discharges. "The floor-to-ceiling lasers are firing in a certain sequence. It's fast, but detectable if you actually look for it. There are eight quadrants in the floor, and every two discharges come from the next two quadrants in sequence, starting at opposite ends and converging on the center. Can you see it?"

Studying the flashing laser-fire, TOM nodded his understanding. Then he paused thoughtfully for a second. Then he shook his head. "I can't keep up."

"That's okay. The horizontal lasers look like they're designed to confuse you and keep you from noticing any pattern in the vertical ones."

"And burn your fraggin' head off," TOM contributed, indicating the dead automaton.

"But these tiles look like they're detachable." She peeled a pair of white tiles from the wall behind them and held one in each hand. TOM did the same as RUBY proceeded across the room, swinging her arms in all directions to block the wall-to-wall lasers and navigating her way through the floor-to-ceiling ones. Immediately, a set of laser ports surrounding their exit lit up. They began firing from the distant end of the room, making RUBY compensate her left and right blocks for the oncoming bursts.

"Maybe I should have gone ahead of you," TOM said from directly behind her, mimicking her tactic with his own set of tiles.

"You said ten seconds ago you couldn't keep up," she reminded him.

There were no physical vibrations as the laser bursts hit the panels he was holding, but TOM could feel the deflective side ripple with searing heat as they bounced off.

Unbeknownst to TOM and RUBY, the two VIK units had entered the room. One hovered in front of the other, too big to be adjacent in the doorway. The foremost VIK turned to an access panel and plugged in. Finding the laser port controls, he turned up the rate of fire.

"Whoa, whoa, this is getting intense!" TOM said. "Is it supposed to get this dangerous halfway through? This doesn't seem right."

"Just move faster," RUBY called over her shoulder. "I'll try deflecting some of the lasers into panels that are ahead of us."

She did so, angling her tiles and deflecting a few discharges into several laser-ports near their exit. They popped, fizzed, and shut down. But she only hit a few, and the rain of light was still worse than when they'd started across. In addition to that problem, TOM could feel the tiles taking heat, the deflective surface carbonizing while the sides under his grip were melting and bending to the shape of his hands.

They picked up the slack, going from a fast shuffle to a reckless run. Bright green beams flashed before their visors. RUBY deflected more shots into the laser ports surrounding their exit, lowering her defenses. The back of her head and right hand took unfortunate hits.

Finally, TOM decided they were close enough. He leapt forward and shoved them both through the exit. Behind them, the laser-bursts ceased and the room quieted.

After a brief lapse of time, the two VIK units hovered across the room, preparing to follow.

* * *

_ continued in chapter 0.2: "epic fail" _


	2. Epic Fail

Disclaimer: Toonami is copyright Cartoon Network. Story by Ruben Diaz, art by J. J. Kirby.

Author's Note: In my previous A/N I stated that I had no idea who this story belonged to. That has changed. Somebody posted the original animated comic at the web address I can't seem to recall. Just Google the thing. Using "Swarm Toonami" as your search words should do it. It may not be there forever. It may not be there now. But if it is, and if you watch/read it, you may notice that some of the mechanical designs I re-imagined turned out to be different from the source material. Oh, well. I won't change what I've already established.

On a more significant note, thanks to all who left comments on the first chapter! [insert overjoyed facial expression] Especially thanks for giving me honest critique instead of flames or thoughtless praise. When I posted this, I wasn't sure if anyone would ever see it or care about it. You guys are awesome. Enjoy chapter zero-point-two.

* * *

**Swarm**

**chapter 0.2: epic fail**

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**

_Gideon Alpha-12 Automaton Construction Platform._

"Is there a list of rules or objectives nearby?" TOM said rhetorically. "I'm kind of at a loss with this one." The fully-lit room TOM and RUBY had just stumbled into had a new obstacle: the absence of a floor. In the middle of the room, half of the floor's surface area dropped straight down, coming to a stop twenty feet below with an array of illuminated panels. The gap spanned from one side to the other, leaving no margin for ledges against either wall. A trio of rotating cogwheels with handles on them appeared to be the only way across. But so far, TOM couldn't figure out how they helped. One cog was positioned on the inside wall of the gap, just below where they stood. A corresponding one was set directly across from it, also against the wall inside the gap, fifteen feet away. And the third was up above their heads, creating a triangle. It seemed impossible to get from one to the other since none were spinning fast enough to toss his weight.

"I was kinda hoping these challenges would get easier as we go along," TOM continued as he looked from one spoke-wheel to the next. "I mean ... the lasers were pretty intense, don't you think?"

RUBY spotted a scorch mark that TOM had unknowingly received across his lower backside in the last chamber. She decided not to tell him about it, instead replying, "We could never be relied upon to do our jobs in outer space if we aren't tested here ... don't _you _think?"

"But what does this have to do with deep-space operations?" TOM gestured with his short arms at the fifteen-foot gap.

"This is the Zero-G Dexterity Examination," explained RUBY. "The affected space in and above the gap simulates the zero-gravity environment of space. Do you want me to describe how gravity works, or do you wanna hurry the heck up?"

"I wasn't built for this," TOM complained. "I've got multi-censors and data-nodes, not roto-gyros and force-servos."

RUBY tilted her head in what was undoubtedly a gestural substitute for eye-rolling. "Look, I figured out Hazard Logistics," she said, "so it's your turn. Don't worry, it'll come to you. In order to see how it works you need to ..." she placed her bulky foot over the burn on TOM's rear side and shoved as firmly as her short leg would allow, "... get out there!"

Instantly, TOM decided that the feeling of being pushed out into empty space warranted a sharp exclamation. He flailed for a second, but stopped when he realized his thrashing was doing nothing more than adding disruption to an otherwise straight flight path. "Ohhh ... zero-gee. I get it." Upon reaching the other side he instinctively grabbed one of the handles extending from a spinning central hub. His touch activated a light fixed into the handle's tip. As soon as he came swinging around underneath his hub and could see the opposite one (the one RUBY was standing above), he finally understood how the game was played. Releasing his grip, he sailed towards it and performed a similar maneuver of grabbing the touch-sensitive handle and flying up to the third, final hub.

RUBY watched patiently.

With three spokes on each hub, TOM had to grab a different spoke each time as he drifted from point to point. After each turn around, the hubs would change position randomly, moving to the left or right on rollers. This made him careful to judge his angle. Once all three spokes on all three hubs were activated, he completed his fifth cycle around and landed with a thud on the finishing point, near the access portal. "And on to the next challenge! Come on over, Ruby."

"On my way." She leapt from the starting point and followed the same course as TOM, flipping and twirling through the triangular cycle.

"You seem to know more stuff than others do about this trial run," TOM called to her.

"Well, I would hope I'm only as knowledgeable as everybody else is," she replied from up above. "But more so than you, it seems. There were information vids during our case integrity testing. Didn't you use them?"

TOM glanced down, looking inadvertently into the abyss. "Oh ... is that what they were for? I was watching video game previews on them." He looked up and added brightly, "Good news, though! My favorite company's come a long way since Halo."

When RUBY finished her fourth cycle and landed, TOM couldn't help noticing that she did so a little more gracefully than he had. "More fun than dodging lasers?" he asked.

"Much."

TOM turned to face the doorway triumphantly. "And we only have one more to go."

"Then let's get moving. Remember there's a time limit." They disappeared through the hatchway.

A moment passed in the empty room. Then the two VIK units hovered in after finally figuring out how to fit through the considerably smaller hatchway, then deciding which of them should enter first. They stopped at the edge of the abyss and paused for a minute, examining the tiny spoke-covered hubs that they could probably crush with a single hand. One of them suggested with its synthesized, deadpan voice, "You go first." His comrade slowly rotated his massive bulk and stared at him.

* * *

TOM and RUBY burst into the third and final room. It was furnished with a row of basic computer modules and a flat screen counting down the time they had left. Even though he was only made of synthetic materials, TOM felt a combination of dread and urgency stir up within him: they had just under thirty seconds remaining. "This is the climactic finish? No buzz-saws or flamethrowers? Tell me you know what needs done here, too."

"Of course I do," RUBY said as she made her way over to a console while glancing at the clock. "And it's easier than it looks." Her confidant tone belied the fact they she could readily imagine beads of sweat running down her helmet. She hopped up to the terminal and quickly assessed the key panel, then the text and images displayed on-screen. "This is to test our understanding of computer science and compatibility with the basics. You just have to find a way to get rid of these faulty algorithms and re-enter them correctly." She nodded to the console next to her. "Get up here, will you? We're running out of time."

TOM couldn't see what she was doing on the console with her gigantic head in the way, so he doubted he could copy off of her. "I couldn't even see the pattern back in the light show room, how do you expect me to—crap!"

"Tom!" RUBY cried, spinning around.

"NOW I know why there aren't any drills or bottomless pits in here," TOM said from his upside-down position near the ceiling. "There were two giant robots getting ready to jump us." His leg was clamped in the grasp of a powerful mechanical arm that was slightly bigger than he was. Twisting his head around, he could see the VIK demolition droid that was holding him aloft. And past the VIK's can-shaped head, he could see the monitor's countdown reaching twenty-two seconds. "Hey, I remember you guys. Whaddaya want?"

Punching in the last few numbers, RUBY jumped down from her computer station and ran towards him, but her path was blocked by the second VIK unit. "Let him go," she demanded. "He hasn't completed the course yet."

"That's what the O.A.R. said to do," the VIK holding TOM said. "To not let him finish."

TOM glanced at the upside-down monitor and made a desperate plea. "But I only have sixty-one ... no, wait, nineteen ... well, now eighteen seconds left! I'll never finish in time, so you may as well let me go anyway! Right?"

It was a sad excuse for an argument, and TOM mentally prepped himself to be crushed like a Pepsi can. But to his mild surprise, the VIK dropped him after a short hesitation. "Okay," it said, apparently convinced.

"Not the most difficult evil henchman to vanquish," TOM muttered. Scrambling up to the computer module, he stared intently at the information running down its screen and frantically began punching in data.

_3 ..._

Despite the ambience of menace being radiated by the demolition robots, RUBY, standing right next to them, had her attention fixed on the timer up in the corner of the room.

_2 ..._

The VIKs were as silent and inert as a set of rooks on a chessboard, waiting for the countdown to end. Then, they knew, their task would be done and they could get back to work that was more constructive ... in a manner of speaking.

_1_

The finishing blare sounded.

"Frag it!" TOM shouted. Despaired, he let his bulky hands fall to his sides while the others watched on. A pair of doors slid open, allowing them exit. The enormous VIKs turned and glided out, but the two automatons ignored them.

TOM turned regretfully to look at RUBY. She didn't knowingly show her disappointment, but her shoulders and head seemed to droop, and she didn't have anything to say. _I can't believe I just let everyone down._ He hadn't thought this moment would be so serious until he actually reached it; only now did he see how much harder he should have been trying the whole time. His lack of preparation had caught up with him. He could feel the tension and urgency draining from the room, but the strongest feeling coming to replace those sensations was the unyielding impact of his failure.

* * *

Outside, at the top-center point of Gideon Alpha-12, a reinforced spire extended above the three observation domes' summits and beyond the event horizon of the force-field prism. Perched on the end was the facility's Bio Sensor, a largely underused piece of equipment. Casting its free-range perceptive radius in every direction, it kept a lookout for signals of organic life, or anything other than the algae-covered planet it had been orbiting around since being installed.

The Bio Sensor was a mandatory precautionary instrument. This was in spite the popular opinion that having one out in space was similar in concept to adding training wheels to a missile tank. All day, every day, it scanned an environment where not even the most minute trace of any life-sustaining atmosphere could ever develop, let alone exist for very long.

Then a quiet blip issued through its systems ... It had picked something up.

Nobody noticed. None of Alpha-12's two thousand, seven hundred and forty-three individuals were directly linked with the Sensor, and were therefore unaware of how important this small registry was about to become. The Bio Sensor could have issued an alert, had it known what it was looking at. Instead, it filed a notice in Alpha-12's core index, which LARS could access wirelessly, then logged the time and event and started recording information. It was the only machine on Gideon Alpha-12 that had a clue to what was approaching.

A great distance away, a faint, eerie, luminescent light gradually came within range of sight. As the Bio Sensor quietly watched, the luminescence began to grow like a sunrise in the middle of space.

* * *

_continued in chapter 0.3: "interstellar"_


	3. Interstellar

Disclaimer: I don't own Toonami. Original story and art by Ruben Diaz and J. J. Kirby. Also, it started as a minor gag, but I'd better state that any strangely familiar personalities belong strictly to Rooster Teeth.

* * *

**Swarm**

**chapter 0.3: interstellar**

* * *

_Gideon Alpha-12 Automaton Construction Platform._

Once more, and for the last time TOM was sure, the automatons stood abreast of each other in the construction chamber where they had started. The row of eight had been reduced to seven. LARS hovered in front of them, looking as though a weight had been lifted from his thin shoulders. TOM wasn't sure if that made him a jerk, or if something else was going on.

"Betas ... subsequently failures," he said in his fizzy, monotonous voice, "it seems most of them managed to make it back. Incidentally, the trial course was a sixty-two-point-five percent failure ... five duds out of eight betas. Had only one more succeeded, which would have resulted in merely a fifty percent failure, automatons would now be examined for interface malfunctions, refitted, recalibrated, and re-tested. But that is not the case. This entire line of automatons will be disassembled and returned to basic factory floor material so as to be completely reconstructed. ... Except one," he added as he stopped near TOM.

The short blue robot glanced up. "No doubt a much darker fate awaits me."

"Great goin', buddy," the sardonic automaton from earlier muttered to him. "You messed up even more than I gave you credit for. And now you owe me _several _thousand bucks to cover my arm _AND _by whole freakin' body ... Nice."

"Well, at least this means we won't be put to work," a robot down the row sighed. "Can I at least take a nap while I'm being physically dismantled?"

"I just hope the disassembly arms are as frisky as our case integrity testing machines were!" a third one said a little too enthusiastically.

An electric shriek drew TOM and RUBY's attention. The overhead construction crane had jerked into motion. It glided to a halt above the group and extended its mechanical arm. Although TOM was fairly sure that most of what was happening could be written off as standard procedure, he couldn't ignore the ominous feeling rising in his gut at the sight of that monstrous mechanical claw.

Another automaton gulped. "That is a really big and scary crane ..." he informed the rest of the group.

"It will be disassembled and melted down to basic materials like the others," LARS stated darkly, ignoring the other units and glaring expressionlessly at TOM, "but the AI matrix is the true defect. That must be wiped completely."

"Wait, that seem a little drastic," he protested, pointing at LARS. In a split second, the arm he was pointing with was suddenly in the grasp of the crane's stainless-steel claw, and he was being hoisted overhead. The remaining automatons watched, but only one seemed more distressed than the others. Swinging from his awkward position, TOM quipped with what he hoped was nonchalance, "Isn't this one of those things where you only get knocked off if the audience doesn't like you?"

"And thus, its expulsion," LARS confirmed to the suspended robot.

The sardonic automaton hollered, "Sucks to be you, dude!"

"Aren't there other options?" implored RUBY, refusing to stay quiet.

LARS's response was as flat as ever. "Protocol dictates."

"Listen, whatever you're singling me out for" TOM started as he began to glide away, but was cut off when the crane braked unexpectedly. His momentum flung him about for a second and he shook his head. He was about to continue before LARS could have him yanked away again, but when he looked down, the O.A.R. wasn't paying him the slightest bit of attention. In fact, he had his back turned to everyone else as well, and was engaged in multiple communication frequencies.

"Which quadrant? Link me with relevant exterior cameras and display the nature of the disturbance."

A pair of enormous view-screens were built into the wall of the construction chamber behind the automatons. They all turned to see them as two instantaneous video feeds from the cameras outside came into focus. TOM and RUBY lingered on each other for a moment before they, too, looked up at the screens.

Outside, Gideon Alpha-12 was still firmly enclosed by its six force field generators. They still held in place the tinted green prism through which the rest of the galaxy could be seen. But beyond that prism was the very last thing anyone working in deep space would ever expect to see.

Outside the space station, in the cold and lifeless vacuum, creatures were approaching. They were in the shape of manta rays, but with gelatinous bodies and a strange leech-like quality. The leech likeness was given credit by enormous mouths that were full of sharp, powerful-looking teeth.

Like a flock of geese, they approached Alpha-12 in a formation: several took point positions, the center one more prominent than the others. The rest of the pack branched away in multiple directions from the point rays. The several hundred creatures behind them dissolved into a mass of luminous blobs content to go wherever they were taken. And they were apparently willing to be taken blindly into the broad side of Alpha-12's force field.

"Identification." LARS ordered through the com freq.

The Bio-Sensor had been analyzing them for the past several minutes. Information scrolled down the side of each screen: _Nebula Rays ... classification: cosmozoans; outer space organisms ... consumption: various forms of particle energy ... status: pack creatures; predatory._

As LARS and the automatons watched, the Nebula Ray at the extreme point headed directly for the center of the green-tinted wall. Its aim was too precise to be a coincidence: the ray was targeting the Alpha-12 installation. Work continued around the construction chamber, but there was a lapse in production and a rise in tension as the leading Nebula Ray approached the force field. If it weren't for that one layer of security, the pack would easily swarm the entire colony.

LARS, the automatons, and various other robots with advanced AI's all watched on.

When the lead ray finally struck point zero, it hit the force field like a balloon hitting a hard ceiling. The ray timidly bounced off and drifted backward, leaving Alpha-12's thin protection completely intact. There was a collective sense of relief among the small, nervous automatons ... relief that vanished in a second as the entire force field, on all sides of the installation, suddenly flickered and died.

TOM stared at the theater-sized viewing screens, which loomed in front of him with a perfect panoramic view of the vast sea of stars. They were filled, left to right and top to bottom, with luminous, energy-sucking monsters. Basically: mouths with wings.

An evacuation signal had already been issued. Automatons, mobile doids, and anything with an AI was moving quickly and systematically for the curved outer wall. That side of the station was lined with the rectangular hatches all marked "EEV" to signify emergency escape vessels.

TOM located LARS. The O.A.R. paused briefly to look up at him, and in that short moment, he recalled the VIK's words from earlier in his trial course: _...what the O.A.R. said to do. To not let him finish._ "So he does have something against me," he muttered to himself. "That's pretty unprofessional." Abruptly, the crane was flying across the factory ceiling in the opposite direction. He had just enough time to see the Administration robot grab RUBY, who resisted, and haul her off toward the emergency hatches.

A desperate glance under his captive arm let TOM know that he was quickly en route to a wide, smooth chute with waves of heat rising from it. He couldn't resist exclaiming, "Holy chute!" He raised a leg to kick at one of the claws gripping his arm, but it held him firmly in place. At least it did for the next two seconds until it had him dangling over the tunnel of heat. Recalling his zero-gravity exercise, though it wasn't entirely applicable where there was artificial gravity, he flung his weight to one side just as the claws opened and dropped him.

He plummeted, missing the floor by inches but snaring the edge of the incineration chute and slamming against its inside surface. Temporary relief flooded through him as he hung there. Then, remembering the rest of his situation, he decided relief was not the best thing to feel just yet.

Despite being smooth and bulky, his three-digit hands kept a surprisingly good grasp on the chute's edge as he pulled himself up and over it. He gave a silent thanks to the engineers who had designed him to be physically harmless but serviceable. Then he took off across the factory floor at an unimpressive pace.

At the other end of the construction chamber, robots were gathered against the wall, filling up the escape vessels. RUBY, having refused to leave the installation while her friend was on board, was being dragged away by LARS. Her whole arm was clamped in his hand while the rest of her body was bouncing along behind him. She spotted TOM running after her and called his name, waving earnestly from her awkward position. TOM wove through the orderly crowds of robots until he caught up with LARS and RUBY. The four remaining green automatons were lined up next to the emergency hatch, awaiting entrance.

One glanced up and announced at length, "_El comediente ha vuelto._"

"Aw, he's alive?" replied a now-familiar voice. "That's bull."

TOM came up to them just as the station shuddered. "Hey, tall guy ... who's job is it to send the distress signal? Somebody has to call for help, right?"

"Negative," LARS snapped, half-turning toward him. "No protocols are in place to deal with a biological assault on Gideon Alpha-12."

TOM held up a finger, then froze. He tried to say something, but found himself completely speechless.

RUBY, still in the taller robot's clutch, wasn't. "Are you serious!" she asked incredulously. "Don't you think your 'protocol dictates' state of mind is a pretty lousy substitute for common sense right now?"

"It is in place to maintain order and stability," LARS stated. "Those two factors guarantee efficiency and safety."

"And yet," TOM said, shaking off his bewilderment and gesturing to the screens that showed a swarming fleet of Nebula Rays, "behind door number one we have a living, breathing (somehow) contradiction to your conviction. In my opinion of the situation, improvisation is the key solution."

"The rules cannot be changed at a moment's notice," LARS responded. "There are only eleven circumstances listed that require an emergency distress call, and an attack from biological life forms is not one of them." As the doors of the next available escape vessel hissed open, he pointed inside with his free hand. "In lieu of this unforseen and infeasible circumstance, they must enter the escape shuttle. All of them."

TOM glanced between LARS and the open hatch while the other automatons filed in. "I've got other ideas," he said. LARS didn't react. TOM turned to RUBY. "Someone needs to send for help. I'm not going to run away just because nobody around here can improvise."

"You mean _we've_ got to send for help," she grunted, tugging to get her arm back.

"Only if tall, dark, and authoritative will let you," TOM replied. He stared up at LARS's hard, immobile features, and LARS stared back. It felt like their earlier stare-down in the same construction chamber an hour ago, but with a new layer of tension added this time ... a layer that consisted of differing views of the same situation. LARS didn't even notice when RUBY braced her feet against his side and used her entire body to pull against his grip.

"How about it, Larsy-parsy?" TOM asked steadily while RUBY grunted with effort and uttered a few surprising curses. "We can save a lot of taxpayers' money if you let us go rogue. It worked for James Bond."

"Affirmative," LARS said unexpectedly. "It should not be active anyway. But the blue unit is the only one listed for permanent shutdown and wipe ... the pink unit is not." As he said this, he tossed a startled RUBY into the escape shuttle. TOM watched as a VIK unit reached out and caught her like a teddy bear in a massive grip. She jumped down from his hands and darted for the open hatch, but the shuttle doors hissed shut in front of her, locking her in with the other robots.

TOM dashed up to the window as RUBY pressed her hands against its vacuum-proof glass. For the briefest moment, they both saw themselves reflected in the other's visor. Then the clamps disengaged, the pod launched, and RUBY was yanked backward out into space, into the ever-gathering swarm of monsters.

LARS glared at the back of TOM's head and said evenly, "It's sacrifice will not be recognized or commended."

TOM watched the retreating shuttle for a moment longer, then replied, just as evenly, "... No sacrifice necessary. I plan on coming back alive."

* * *

_continued in chapter 0.4: "appetite for destruction"_


	4. Appetite for Destruction

Disclaimer: Toonami is copyright Cartoon Network, and certain personalities are copyright Rooster Teeth.

Author's Note: One more thing, though it's kind of late: if you're imagining the characters' voices while reading, the TOM in this story did not have the same voice actor as the last two TOMs, or Tomino. That was Steven Blum, the actor who's most popular role is Spike Spiegel in "Cowboy Bebop". The short, pot-bellied, bubble-headed TOM (featured in Swarm) was voiced by the actor who did Krillin (Dragonball Z), Maes Hughes (Fullmetal Alchemist) and Lupin III: Sonny Strait. Though at this point in the story, he seems to think he's Bruce Willis.

* * *

**Swarm**

**chapter 0.4: appetite for destruction**

* * *

_Gideon Alpha-12 Automaton Construction Platform._

TOM was sprinting down corridors as fast as his short legs could move him, which was unfortunately only about five times faster than a penguin and not much more dignified. Clearly, his model was not built for speed. Approaching a four-way intersection, he muttered, "I should have found something by now! I know I'm in the right place."

By his reckoning, the semi-circular construction chamber took up half of this level on Alpha-12. The testing grounds took up one quarter of the same level, leaving the section that he was now in the process of exploring. He had entered the same door he'd first seen LARS come through, so there should be _something _around here built to get people to upper and lower levels. He came to a stop, just then remembering a massive cargo elevator he'd seen back in the construction chamber. At the time it hadn't been important enough to take note of, and by now it would take too long to run all the way back to it. _Man, this sucks.  
_

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, running, running, running ..."

A desperate voice drew his attention to the end of a corridor, where one of the green automatons from earlier was running by. "Hey, wait!" he shouted. The green halted and tottered back into the middle of the corridor where TOM could see him. "What are you—"

"I am a robot!" the green answered too quickly.

"Um, yeah ... But what the heck are you doing out here?"

"Okay, here is how everything happened," the started to explain, enunciating carefully and using very simple words. "First, I got really scared by the crane. Then, I got even more scared by the monsters. So I ran away and tried to hide, but then I got lost somehow, and later I got chased by one of the really scary monsters, and then—"

"Wait!" TOM interrupted. "The Galacti-Leech ... uh, things ... they're inside?"

"Yes. But not to worry!" the green assured him. "I was extremely clever and managed to out-smart it. And now IT is lost, _AND _no longer chasing me."

"Okay, this's bad news, but—hey, look out!"

"Huh?" The green turned in confusion just as the aforementioned ray's teeth clamped down on his body, lifting him off his feet. It cracked his casing, shattered his visor, and sent sparks shooting from all his joints. Tendrils of energy slithered over his damaged hide and into the ray's mouth. The last thing TOM heard from the automaton before he was carried out of sight was a scream: "_Ahhhh! I am dead!_"

There was no time to lament in any way, especially not for a disaster that was taking place all around him. That fact was reestablished when another Nebula Ray smashed in through the wall behind where the green had just been standing. Picking a direction at random, TOM took off, but not before the ray had ascertained him as prey. He was lucky, though: the corridor he had randomly chosen led directly to the elevator he'd been seeking. Pouring on speed, which wasn't very much, he reached the elevator and hit the access panel, then spun around to face the far-off intruder. "Sorry buddy, but if you want dinner, you gotta catch it!"

He stared the ray down, waiting patiently for his escape route to become available. But after the ray had closed the distance between them by half, it occurred to him that the doors were taking a little too long to respond. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that they were still closed. He looked back at the approaching predator, which was closing in with its dead-looking eyes focused on him and its gaping mouth waiting to be filled.

"Ah, crap."

* * *

RUBY continued watching the Gideon Alpha space station even after she could no longer tell which port her escape shuttle had launched from. The dusty, desolate planet remained a vast background while the sation continued to shrink. Incidentally, RUBY's attention was drawn to the planet. She wasn't sure why until it occurred to her that it's surface had changed a little since she'd last seen it. The sparse gasses in the atmosphere had expanded into a much thicker, fully-formed mist. And there was something else happening down there that she hadn't put her finger on just yet ...

One of the green automatons was standing next to her. He placed a compassionate hand on her shoulder, saying, "Don't you worry about what that Administrator fella said about being pink. You're clearly a light-ish red! Trust me, I can tell."

She ignored him, peering intensely at her discovery. If she wasn't mistaken, the planet's mist was also developing a strange phosphorescent glow ... She shoved the companionable green's hand away, exclaiming, "Contact Alpha-12!"

"Why? It was made pretty darn clear that they _don't_ want us around there."

"I think I know why the Nebula Rays are attacking! There's some kind of chemical reaction in the planet's atmosphere, and the rays are coming to feed on it, or absorb it, or whatever they do. But since the station's in the way, they're feeding on the energy in robots and machines, too!"

"Meh ... that's just a theory," the lazy automaton said, folding his hands behind his head and propping his feet up. "Besides, it sounds like too much work just to save a big facility whose whole reason for _existing _is long, boring manual labor. We're already being carried to safety, so I say kick back and enjoy the—"

The ray came out of nowhere, ramming the side of their craft with a force that surprised everyone. RUBY clung to the porthole rim, watching the giant space colony tilt and fall out of view. Desperately, she shoved past the automaton and the VIK unit and ran for the control station. But just as she reached it, an overwhelming spectacle froze her on the spot.

Beyond the front window, the entire starscape was crowded with nearly as many luminous cozmozoans as twinkling dots. A humongous wave of Nebula Rays numbering in the thousands was sweeping inexorably toward the planet, as well as the facility in orbit and the dozens of fleeing shuttles that were in its path.

_I don't have time to lose my cool._ She shook herself out of it and reached for the communication controls, but was flung away from them when another ray smashed into their shuttle from outside. It tore through the front, ripping the floor and ceiling in half like a knife cutting open a walnut shell. A crack appeared in RUBY's visor, and one of her legs was wrenched at an awkward angle. All she could discern through her damaged optic systems were robots being pitched about, sparks flying, and the bulk of the ray. Soon, all of these visuals fell away and opened up into a wildly oscillating view of the stars.

* * *

"Its probably just coming from another floor," TOM reassured himself, hoping the elevator doors would open before the approaching Nebula Ray could catch its easy dinner. After a few seconds, he lost his cool and began hitting the access panel as rapidly as he could.

Glancing back to see how much time he had left, he found his vision completely engulfed by a gaping orifice filled with sharp, metal-cracking teeth. He let out a shout of alarm and ducked, letting the ray swoop over his head to crash violently into the stubborn elevator doors, which gave an absurdly cheerful dinging sound and slid open.

TOM mashed the "up" button the moment he was inside. The doors closed on the creature just as it made another rush, and with a solid, metallic _CLANG_, it bent them inward. Relieved, he wiped some imaginary sweat from his brow and leaned against the back wall to observe the oddly distorted doors. They were imprinted with the shape of the ray's head like something out of a cartoon.

"Hey, there's my wall-mounted trophy! Now if only there were someone here to be impressed by it." Sustaining his humor, he glanced to either side of him. But in doing so, he noticed something strange: he was nowhere near the elevator's rear wall. Instead, he was leaning against something big that was inside with him. Cautiously turning around to see what it was, he had to tilt his head back to see a massive, and rather familiar, metal chassis.

The silent and motionless VIK demolition unit filled half the space inside the elevator car, lighting the darkness with his glowering red optic visor, which glared imperiously down at TOM. For his part, TOM discovered that he felt more threatened by the towering VIK than he had in front of the mindless Nebula Ray. With obvious intent, VIK drew back his fist as far as it would go (allowing for the substantial dent his elbow made) and swung at his puny opponent like a pile-driver.

VIK's opening punch glanced off TOM's head. It sent the automaton sprawling and left the demolition droid's fist embedded smack the middle of the Nebula Ray face that had been indented in the doors. VIK struggled to free his immobilized arm, his powerful servos whining and humming. Giving up, he rotated his massive form to seek out his target, and quickly found it. The smaller robot rolled underneath the demolition unit, avoiding a blow that smashed a hole through the floor.

"Terrific! First I gotta get _INTO _the elevator, now I have to get _OUT _of it again," TOM grumbled. "I wish _somebod_y up there would just make up their freakin' mind!"

Meanwhile, down in the corridor, TOM's Nebula Ray was beating against the barrier that was keeping it from its food. The said barrier was already severely damaged, so it only took a few more hits until there was room for the ray to fit its wings through. Slipping over the threshold, it surged into the shaft and crashed against the opposite side, breaking through power couplings and reflexively absorbing every source of energy its cells could soak up.

It was at that moment TOM felt the elevator car shudder. Not from VIK's rampage, but from breakage taking place below. Then three things happened at once: the doors parted, VIK freed his fist, and the lift lost all power. It dropped straight down, drawn by the station's artificial gravity.

TOM made a dive for the opening and rolled to a stop outside. With one arm still stuck through the floor and the other reaching out for his smaller victim, VIK dropped downward along with the elevator. His optic visor flashed a furious red before he plunged out of sight.

A moment passed while TOM sat staring at the half-inch of space between his heels and the edge of the abruptly empty shaft. "Okay ..." he uttered, pushing himself up, "... moving on. I wonder how long it's going to take me _now _to find the communi—" He stopped, seeing the communications room right behind him. "Oh, good. Things finally got easy. Hope it stays that way ..."

* * *

All but a few of the occupants from RUBY's broken ship had poured out into empty space and where now floating around helplessly. An egg-shaped robot with six arms and a single locomotive appendage gave a horrible scream while being ripped in half by two Nebula Rays. As the feasting cozmozoans pulled him apart, a third darted through the carnage for RUBY, who'd been watching in horror. She was clutching the edge of the wrecked shuttle like a worm on a hook. Although its eyes were so dark and lifeless that it didn't even seem to see her, its mouth was agape in anticipation of a crunchy, energy-filled robot hide.

But just as it reached her, a metal fist grabbed the edge of the ruptured wall she was clinging to. She looked up, startled. From her point of view, she saw a tall cylindrical body emerge from behind the wall, and another powerful fist emerge from behind that body. The VIK unit's fist smashed into the ray's face, blowing it into bits of luminescent matter.

"Wow ... VIK, um ... thanks." She was almost too surprised to voice her very sincere relief.

VIK acknowledged her with a mere flash of indicator lights. Unfortunately, he was in the same position as she was now: clinging by one hand to a piece of floating wreckage. Him being a demolition unit, she could tell he had an unbreakable grip. The catch was that the metal itself wasn't holding up very well, and the lengthwise spin of the broken craft was twisting their grip. But while struggling to keep from drifting away, RUBY spotted some good fortune. Beyond VIK's straining fingers, at the far end of the vessel's shredded husk, its control panel was still in one piece and alive with power.

"VIK ... toss me up front!"

Following orders was the easiest thing for VIK to do. He grabbed her whole torso like a volleyball and gently pitched her forward. The vessel's rotation threw his aim off a little, but RUBY grabbed some loose cables and pulled herself over to the console. Swinging around at the tip of the shuttle gave her a nerve-wracking sensation of vertigo. It was worse this time with the swarm being much closer while turning over sickeningly in her vision due to the shuttle's spin. In addition to that, she was now out in the open.

Positioning herself, she tuned in to Alpha-12's main frequency, noting fretfully that the console was partially damaged. "Hello, Gideon Alpha-12! Can anyone here me?" She received no answer, but went ahead regardless. "The attacking cozmozoans are going after the particles being produced by the planet's atmosphere, not the robots and machines on Alpha-12. Move Alpha-12 out of their way, and they might loose interest in it. If it's capable of _any _kind of independent movement, use it now. Is anyone receiving?"

She waited through dead silence for someone to answer her, but nothing happened. Either the communicator was useless, or nobody was listening. The only thing she could do now was somehow get back to Alpha-12 and find a way to switch its thrusters on with VIK's help. And that was only if it had any thrusters. She looked dispiritedly at the installation in the distance. Compensating for the wrecked shuttle's awkward spin while judging her speed and angle wouldn't be too difficult. The Zero-G chamber had taught her that. Making it there on time was another problem entirely.

_One thing's for certain,_ she thought, getting ready to jump. _The Bio Sensor won't be referred to as the B.S. anymore._

Suddenly, multiple points of bright light appeared on one side of Alpha-12. Even in the cold, desolate void of deep space, and after nearly being eaten by cozmozoan predators, her heart jumped. Very ponderously, the construction platform's orbit accelerated. She was careful not to celebrate too early, though; the rays could easily swerve to follow it. But so far, the ones that had been on site for a while were now bypassing it.

In high spirits, she waved to VIK. The demolition unit thought for a moment, then waved back ... and immediately found his arm clamped in the jaws of a Nebula Ray that swept up from under their vessel. "NO!" RUBY cried out as he was snatched away.

Twisting it its grasp, VIK yanked its arms free and started pumping blows into the creature while being carried away by it.

Then, abruptly, Gideon Alpha-12's rockets went dark. "What?" RUBY stared intently at the powerless superstructure, silently cursing it to start moving again while wondering what the malfunction could have been. Had the first wave of rays had reached the rockets' fuel cells and destroyed them? Disastrous possibilities ran through her mind until it occurred to her that her shout had been heard over the communication line. "No, you IDIOT! I wasn't shouting at you to stop! Turn your engines back on!" They lit back up and the installation continued moving.

* * *

TOM burst into the communications room, which turned out to be one of the transparent domes at the top of Alpha-12. The doors he entered through were thinner than the elevator doors, but he decided they were better than nothing. What did set his nerves on edge was the blanket of Nebula Rays crowding every square meter of the dome outside. Their mouths were squeezing open and shut, trying to suck in energy or chew through the glass. Whatever the walls of this place were made of, the glass was thankfully tougher stuff.

At the other side of the dome sat the comm station. He hobbled over to it, trying to ignore the gnawing, thrashing creatures all around him. The comm station resembled a set of heavy surround-sound speakers bolted to either end of a dais. There was a pair of circular discs on it's console that were used for adjusting to various communication frequencies. TOM took a seat, slapped on a giant pair of headphones, and began skillfully rotating the discs with his hands.

"Hey, this is Dee-Jay To—I mean, this is Tom, broadcasting on all channels from the Gideon Alpha-12 Construction Platform, and I need immediate help from anyone receiving. Repeat, I'm asking for immediate emergency help. The entire colony is under attack by, uh ... energy-sucking space-monsters. Man, that sounds weird now that I say it out loud. Occupants are fleeing in escape vessels, but ..."

The doors across from him shuddered and bent.

"... We need emergency assistance RIGHT NOW!"

TOM hopped down, discarded the headphones, and glanced about for a weapon as the rays continued their mindless ramming. Luckily, there had been plenty of construction and maintenance work going on all over the place. One section of the floor was only partially assembled, leaving bare girders exposed and piles of tools and materials stacked up. Sitting atop a pile of panel fixtures he spotted a welding tool. TOM hurried over and snatched it up. It was a plasma torch. Better than nothing. He set the device on its highest level and powered it up as the doors began tearing loose.

While he waited there, feeling the improvised weapon whirring with energy in his hands, recollections from earlier in the day flooded through his mind: the Hazard Logistics Gauntlet ... the Zero-G Dexterity Exam ... the Basic Computer Science Test ... They had all been designed to prepare him for handling the countless difficult situations he would deal with in his future. Even the unforeseen disasters, like almost being beaten up and incinerated, had left a lasting impact on him that would affect every serious decision he made from then on. "It looks like this is the final exam," he said aloud, bringing the plasma torch to bear as the steel doors burst open and the Nebula Rays moved in. "Well, I'm ready. Bring it on!"

The monsters obliged. The first ray attacked faster than TOM expected. He ducked and rolled, and the ray swooped over him. When he rose to his feet he was better prepared for the second. It was coming at him from a different angle. TOM swung the torch about and lit it up.

White-hot plasma stabbed out of its barrel and lanced through the creature. Its entire luminescent body simmered with all-consuming heat before the translucent flesh liquefied and dissipated into the air. TOM spun to see the first ray hurtling at him from behind. He fired the torch, and it vaporized into bright fluid just like its _compadre_. He glanced around, seeing no more enemies.

The fight had been quick, but relatively intense. Intense in the fact that it marked TOM's his first encounter where he hadn't survived by running. A ribbon of vapor poured from the barrel of the welding tool as it cooled down. He twirled the makeshift weapon around his finger, uttering in a singsong voice, "Yippie-ki-yay, muh—" The torch slipped from his finger and landed on his foot. "Dang it."

Abruptly remembering the situation outside, he scooped the torch up and turned back to the comm station to see if anyone had received his distress call. If not, he decided to keep sending and hope to get lucky. When he turned around, however, he saw that all the rays had cleared themselves off the dome for some reason, which allowed for an unobstructed view outside. And what he saw out there was a whole field of Nebula Rays rising up like a deadly tidal wave, with RUBY clinging to some useless chunk of metal directly in front of them.

"Really, now? I take care of one thing and ... _AARGH!_" Luck was definitely not a factor today.

Figuring out what had to be done, he immediately began searching the room for more tools. A utility cabinet provided what he needed, and he dashed back to where the observation dome met the floor. The power gauge on his plasma torch showed that it was nearly spent ... what else did he expect? He lowered the setting and got to work with it.

Impatience ate away at him while he carved out a vaguely circular shape in the glass. Finishing as quickly as possible, he swung with his three-fingered hand and punched the inside surface of the giant transparent dome. The part he struck blew out in an uneven circle, and its superheated edges immediately crystalized in the cold of space, sending out a corona of frozen shards.

With a short hop, he propelled himself through the hole, grabbing its edge and performing an awkward jackknife. The entire universe flip-flopped in his vision until his feet made contact with the outside surface of the dome. He attached his second tool to the glass, then straightened and inclined his head to stare at what was now upward for him.

More than one escaping shuttle had been smashed up, and as a result there was more than a few robots adrift in the void. The desire to rescue all of them was painfully extinguished when he realized it was an impossibility ... for the moment. He'd done all he could do for now, so the best thing left to do was save the person he cared about most. But he vowed to get to work on helping the rest of them as soon as RUBY was brought back.

Turning the nearly-depleted plasma torch up to its most powerful setting once again, he directed the output valve at his feet and poured out the last of it's fuel, launching himself up into the open.

* * *

It had been at least a minute since Gideon Alpha-12's rockets had fired up, and one thing had become obvious to RUBY: the installation would not be out of the way in time. Taking in the width of the swarm, their speed of approach, and the speed of the station's movement, it was clear that it would only have circumnavigated the planet by a tiny fraction by the time the second wave of rays arrived. She'd given them a reprieve from the first few predators, but that was all.

Something struck RUBY's floating island of sanctuary, knocking her out of her thoughts and into space. Recovering, she made a slow zero-gravity turn to see a ray tearing chunks out of the already destroyed escape shuttle. There would be no more communication, but that was fine. They were just as helpless to assist her just as she had been to assist them.

With nothing more urgent to keep her mind focused, the facts of her last few minutes of life began barging their way unwelcome into her head. They illustrated an no-win situation: her path of trajectory was currently planetward, but the second wave would catch up with her anyway, and even if they didn't she would still burn up in the atmosphere. If there was any way to survive that and also stay intact when turning into a meteorite, the rays would still catch up with her on the surface of the planet. And drifting out into the endless emptiness wasn't very appealing either ...

A feeling of doom settled in her stomach. She was so caught up in her dark thoughts that she almost didn't see the small white-and-blue figure that was hurtling toward her from the direction of the colony. Upon recognizing him, she did a double take. "Tom!"

"Miss me?" he quipped, easing to a stop via his retractable handheld winch. The end of the wire was obviously anchored somewhere on Alpha-12. "You didn't think I was gonna leave you out here, did you?"

"Where'd you get a winch?"

He nodded to it. "There're tools all over the place down there. Now hang on tight! We're goin' for a ride."

The two of them set their sights on the construction colony several hundred meters away. Several hundred meters of treacherous space to a salvation that already looked like swiss cheese ... and that salvation was temporary. But temporary or not, TOM secured his grip on the winch and RUBY secured hers on TOM. He hit the retract button and held it ...

... as a sharp fragment of shuttle wreckage drifted across their path, sliced into TOM's cable, and snapped cleanly through it. The remaining two meters of cable spooled up into the machine and began spinning around uselessly. The station wasn't even two meters closer. Neither of them said anything for a minute until TOM, sensing a need for dialog, tilted his head to look at RUBY. "I don't suppose you figured out a 'plan B' while mine was busy failing?"

She shook her head like a disappointed schoolteacher. "Your luck is rubbing off on me."

Something beyond her caught TOM's eye. "Ruby, uh ..."

"What now?" she asked.

He glanced again at the luminous creatures that glowed against the black abyss behind her. They looked like an entire fleet of alien stealth ships descending for an attack. Ships with teeth. "Look at me," he said. Even though he was sure she would see through his distraction immediately, he decided the last thing he could do for his friend was to keep her attention focused on him when their _coup de grace_ came. "Keep your eyes on me," he repeated. "And don't look anywhere else."

"Look right at you," RUBY confirmed. "You mean, at your panoramic and very reflective face, in which I can see the big swarm of particle-draining monsters coming up behind me?"

"Uh ... yeah."

TOM released the severed end of his useless winch and RUBY took his free hand.

"Okay," she said.

Hanging in the middle of space, she stared at her reflection in TOM's optic visor. In his reinforced liquid-crystal visage, her image was tinted blue with stars and luminescent creatures spread out behind her.

TOM could see the same thing in hers, with a fuschia tint and a planet and space station behind him. But outside the reflection, behind RUBY's head, he could also see the wings of the first Nebula Ray in the second wave as it descended on them. He chose to ignore it. There was nothing he could do about it now, and it wasn't what he wanted to be looking at when their end came.

Suddenly, RUBY drew back in surprise as she watched TOM's reflective visor split into two halves by a blinding, vertical pinnacle of light. The ray behind her vanished inside an all-encompassing blast. She spun around to see what had happened, only to have what little was left of the ray splat her in the face.

While RUBY was struggling to wipe the slime away, TOM tilted his head back. "I can't believe it!" he exalted. "Somebody showed up!"

High above them a gigantic, gleaming starship was easing out of hyperspace. Its twin gun ports glowed vibrantly, having unleashed the beam that destroyed the Nebula Ray even before it had fully exited. The last few rainbow-colored strands of the hyperspace portal were still trailing away from its enormous engines.

The starship's weapons surged again, lancing through multiple Nebula Rays around Gideon Alpha-12 and among the shuttle wreckage. Sensing that their numbers were being diminished, the rays instinctively abandoned the hazardous food source. Next, the ship poured destructive particles straight downward, bisecting the second wave and creating a rift that would allow them to safely clear the free-floating survivors. The blazing salvo continued until, at last, the entire flotilla began to part. It was soon wide enough to pass around either side of the construction colony, which had shut off its engines.

That done, their rescuers finally ceased fire, and everyone waited and watched as the Nebula Rays continued to their destination, finishing their impossible interstellar journey.

The space around the pair of automatons had at last calmed from exploding ships, expiring robots, and hungry monsters to surviving robots aimlessly floating amongst scraps of debris. VIK drifted by, aiming a thumbs-up at them, and they each returned it with one hand. TOM let his head sink with relief until it tapped RUBY's chin. She let it rest there and patted his shoulder.

"Ruby?"

"What's up?"

"I got a look at my reflection in that dome overtop the communications room."

"Did you notice how good-looking you are?"

"Says the robot who looks exactly like me. But there's something else I wanna know ..." He raised his head and looked straight at her. "_Why _did you not tell me I have a scorch mark on my ass?"

* * *

_concluded in chapter 0.5: "the end of the beginning"_


	5. The End of the Beginning

Disclaimer: For the last time, Toonami is copyright Cartoon Network, and certain recognizable personalities belong to Rooster Teeth.

* * *

**Swarm**

**chapter 0.5: the end of the beginning**

* * *

_Gideon Alpha-12, Automaton Construction Platform._

TOM and RUBY stood abreast of each other—and this was definitely the last time, TOM knew—back in the main construction chamber. All around them a slightly reduced number of droids and automatons were getting back to their stations and reorganizing production lines. LARS was nowhere in sight, and once again, they had nothing to do besides wait. But it wasn't so bad this time, in remembrance of what had occurred earlier.

Not all intruders had been cleared from Alpha-12; some were still wandering around inside attempting to find their way out. A Nebula Ray popped out of a large access hatch somewhere overhead. It caused some general alarm, but didn't go after anyone. Workers rushed to the emergency escape hatches and opened a few, drawing the ray in the right direction.

Anyone who was interested and not busy watched it sail steadily overhead, bringing a moment of calm to the factory floor. The obvious reason for the calm was that no one wanted to provoke the ray, but there was also an undeniable sense of fascination in the observation of an incredibly rare species whose origin was a mystery and whose existence was a marvel. They slowed and watched quietly while it glided undauntedly through their own place of work. When the ray reached one of the escape hatches and floated through, the door hissed shut, opening on the other side to release it back into open space.

While others were returning to their positions and getting busy again, a green automaton stepped up beside his companions. He was missing his entire right arm. TOM thought little of it until the green growled, "Don't say a word."

"_Heeey,_" TOM mused, recognizing the voice and remembering what they'd joked about before. "Aren't you the same guy who—"

"Yes," The green interrupted curtly. "Shut. Up. I still have one arm, and that's all I need to hit you."

"You still owe me a couple thousand from our bet," TOM said, unable to resist. "Gonna cost you and arm and a leg."

"Shutup."

"I'm sure you can work it off, though. Start a lucrative business. Anything but arms dealing."

"Dude, those are really bad jokes, so I'm not even gonna dignify you by getting mad."

"So we're no longer comrades in arms?"

While they were bantering, a decapitated automaton head rolled up and somehow came to a stop next to RUBY. "_No chistes, por favor,_" he begged.

After another few minutes of waiting, LARS swept into the room. Before the O.A.R. could say anything, TOM threw out his hands, proclaiming, "Ta-dah! I saved your business and lived to take partial credit. Whaddaya have to say to that?"

But LARS kept moving. "Prioritized tasks take precedence, and it is still marked for incineration and total wipe."

TOM let his arms drop. "Are you kidding me?" he asked in disbelief.

"Didn't you notice anything he did?" RUBY asked, equally dismayed.

"It pushed a few buttons and sent a transmission. Any droid is programmed for that. It currently has no assigned occupation and must be removed ..." LARS looked up at the overhead crane and sent a signal to it, but the machine didn't budge. That was no surprise, considering the holes in the walls where power conduits had previously been, and the chunk that had been bitten out of the crane's auxiliary supply. LARS glared back down at the automatons. "... As soon as necessary equipment is functional."

His optic lenses blinked with inset lights. In response to the hailing frequency, he ordered, "Open transmission," and turned his back on the automatons, ignoring the blue one's upset remark. "Starship, this is Platform Alpha-12 dispatch."

"_This is L-Class Deep Space Explorer_ Absolution," the ship outside responded.

"Go ahead, _Absolution._"

"_As mentioned during our last and slightly less eventful visit, we're still short on mobile crew. We were hoping to acquisition a droid from you if you're currently able._"

"Affirmative. There are a few construction and demolition units available here," LARS informed them, eyeing the last VIK unit as it waved to the fuschia automaton while going about its work. "One or two could be supplied."

"_Actually, we were more interested in that communications droid who contacted us._"

LARS was dead silent for a minute. Glancing over his shoulder, he observed the blue unit chatting with its contemporaries. "It must be acquired under a ... ah, no-return policy. Will that be satisfactory?"

"_That'll be fine._ Absolution _out._"

LARS closed the frequency and returned to the shortened row of automatons. He approached slowly, and soon had their full, curious attention. But before he could get a word in, TOM pointed up at him and said, "Know what? It's pretty obvious what your problem with me is: you suck at running this place, so when I come along and save it from being torn apart, you can't stand it. I did more good than you could, and you know it."

"That's right," RUBY supported.

Pausing for a few extra seconds to deal with an unusual swell of contempt, LARS finally ground out his last words to the blue automaton. "It has a new designation."

* * *

The same starship that had come to the rescue with seconds to spare now glided past the space station right outside the airlock TOM waited in. It's impulse thrusters eased it to a stop. "That is one stylish ride," he complimented, watching an extendable docking appendage reach out to make contact with the ship. "It looks even nicer now than when it was firing from every gun port. How's that possible?"

"Tom, this is so freakin' sweet!" RUBY uttered, viewing it with him. "You're about to be assigned to a whole starship! Congratulations!"

"Hey, I wouldn't have earned it without your help, Rube." He took his gaze off the lingering ship and looked at his friend. "I have a long road ahead of me. But no matter how far I go, I'm never gonna forget you."

She shrugged amiably. "We'll be connected one way or another. We're made of the same stuff. And we're the same automaton model."

This reminded TOM of something that had been bothering him ever since he had returned to Alpha-12 with RUBY and the others. The multiple rescue efforts notwithstanding, he hadn't forgotten the outcome of their initial trial course. "So I'll be fine," he said hesitantly, not wanting to taint their moment but deciding he had to, "but what about you and the other two automatons? Are you guys still gonna be recycled and reconstructed as different droid models?"

"He would probably prefer it that way," RUBY said, referring to their O.A.R. "But there isn't enough time or resources for that kind of work. With this big place all torn up by the Nebula Rays, there's plenty of reconstruction to be done, so LARS can't afford to dismantle any of us. I'll be kept busy."

"That's a big relief."

"So, until we meet again," she said with mock-melodrama, "farewell, my friend."

"Be seein' ya. Someday, I'll try to do proud by our model, promise." The airlock hissed open, and he stepped through it.

As her friend departed and the hatchway closed behind him, RUBY whispered to herself, "_You already have." She looked away for a second, grumbling, "I mean, of course you have! Jeez, you just saved a whole freakin' construction colony fer cryin' out loud, what more are you gonna do? Are you going to save the whole dang galaxy next? Talk about setting yer standards high._" She turned back in time to see TOM entering the ship, which powered up its engines and rocketed off into the stars. "I'll miss you, Tom."

* * *

As TOM took his first step onto the _Absolution,_ there were two things on his mind: how much he would miss RUBY, and the fact that he hadn't been given any job description whatsoever. He glanced in both directions, wondering what should come first on the agenda. Before long, a hovering, spherical droid with multiple lenses and a couple minor appendages on its top and bottom floated up to him.

"My name's Moltar," came a deep, laid-back voice via the droid's transmitter. "You prob'ly won't meet me in person, but no big deal. Come on up to the bridge. I'll show you around. The bigger tour is self-guided."

"Works for me," TOM said.

The ship's clean, dimly-lit interior was quiet aside from the smooth hum of the engines and other widespread systems. As he followed the droid toward the _Absolution_'s bridge, TOM took the place in, gazing down every hallway and through every aperture they passed. _This ... _he thought to himself, _... is a really big ship. Don't know why, but I have a feeling there're gonna be some big, eventful things happening here._

* * *

THE END ... for now


End file.
